As fans of professional wrestling, we are programmed to suspend our disbelief and buy into the fiction we see in front of us at least for the moment. However, in our hearts, we know that we shouldn’t swallow the things that are portrayed on wrestling television at face value. Despite the confusing predicament that can put us in over time there are certain friendships that we see regularly and begin to believe in but even the best of us can be fooled from time to time. That is what inspired us to put together this list of the fifteen wrestlers fans think like each other but in reality don’t.

In order for a pairing to be considered for inclusion on this list, they need to come across like they are believed to be close for one reason or another. Then, there needs to be documented discussion that they have contempt for one another in real-life or did at one time. We would like to make it abundantly clear that we have never met any of the people involved in this list so there is always the possibility that we have been worked. However, we’ve done everything in our power to verify that those involved legitimately did not get along.

17 15. Hulk Hogan and Macho Man

via Admepics.com
via Admepics.com

Two of the biggest stars in the history of the business, “Macho Man” Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan’s careers will be inexorably linked to one another for the rest of time. Wrestling as The Mega Powers at one time and as key members of the nWo during another, they spent years as on-screen allies and others as enemies which seems to be close to reality. At one time both men and their wives were close, even vacationing together but their friendship seems to have fallen apart when Randy blamed The Hulkster for his marriage falling apart. Evidently, they patched things up later but things fell apart yet again after their time in WCW to the point that Randy challenged Hogan to a real fight and rapped about him needing to be a man. According to Hogan and Randy’s brother they were starting to clear things up prior to the Macho Man’s death, however.

16 14. Dawn Marie and Francine

via tiwtter.com
via tiwtter.com

ECW had its fair share of female performers over the years, including Elektra, Nicole Bass, Woman, Jasmine St. Claire, and Lita, but there are two women who are most synonymous with the company. Dawn Marie and Francine, the latter of which was known as the Queen of Extreme, were pivotal parts in the success of the company and spent years on the same roster. Despite that fact, they aren’t the bosom buddies fans may have wanted them to be. According to Dawn Marie when they saw one another at WWE’s One Night Stand pay-per-view she tried to shake her former co-worker’s hand and she turned away from her like she was nothing. On top of that, Dawn claimed blamed her rival for getting the roster to hate her but Francine says that was because of Dawn’s personality.

15 13. Jon Heidenreich and Road Warrior Animal

via wrestlestars.com
via wrestlestars.com

The Road Warriors, also known as The Legion of Doom, are arguably the greatest tag team in the history of professional wrestling. Destroying the competition wherever they went, their dominance turned them into characters that fans believed were legitimate badass and would flock to see perform. When Hawk passed away at far too young an age, his partner in crime, Animal, was left behind and understandably desired to continue his career. Getting the opportunity to wrestle for the WWE again, it was decided that he’d take on a new partner, John Heidenreich, who arguably was handed a golden goose. Winning tag team gold together, it was the best run of John’s career and the last of Animal’s but despite the success, hatred was built up between them. Apparently, John blamed Animal for his eventual release, saying he told management he was unreliable, and Animal resents what he claims is a false accusation.

14 12. Raven and Stevie Richards

via Pinterest.com
via Pinterest.com

Stevie Richards was a very talented performer who ended up plying his trade in the WWE, WCW, TNA, and ECW. Despite all of his years of hard work and all of the memorable storylines he took part in, he will always be linked in the minds of many fans with his former on-screen mentor, Raven. Former two-time tag team champions together, they were parts of one of the best ECW factions, the Raven’s Nest, together and also worked in WCW together. However, evidently things weren’t so rosy behind the scenes as Raven had a tendency to remind Richards that his spot was as his lackey, something Stevie wasn’t too happy about, nor should he be. Apparently, there were a lot of ECW talent that didn’t take too kindly to Stevie if his stories are true but it was this case that really surprised us.

13 11. Alberto Del Rio and Sin Cara/Místico

via WWE.com
via WWE.com

Two of the biggest Latino stars that professional wrestling has had over the last several years, Alberto Del Rio and the original Sin Cara have worked all over the world together. Wrestling one another in huge venues like Arena Mexico long before they both made their way to the WWE, you’d be forgiven if you assumed they were friendly but that isn’t the case. There were several incidences in the past of these two where things got rough, the worst of which was when one of Sin Cara’s friends pulled a gun on Del Rio during the point of his career where he was known as Místico. Additionally, Alberto has referred to Sin Cara as lazy multiple times in shoot interviews after he left the WWE umbrella. To say things are rocky between the two is an understatement.

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11 10. Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty

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via Pinterest.com

One of the best tag teams of the eighties, Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty were known as The Rockers, or Midnight Rockers, as a pair and are remembered fondly by many. A tandem that had a great deal of chemistry with one another, they had perhaps the most legendary blow up a team has ever had and even teamed together in WWE briefly in the 2000s. Despite their long association with one another, and Marty arguably staying relevant because of his link to HBK who became a huge star, Jannetty regularly disparages his former pal. One such incident came after he revealed to the world that his ankle was severely messed up and when he showed Shawn he didn’t seem to care or try to help. On top of that when he is asked about Shawn in shoot interviews things aren’t too complimentary.

10 9. Billy Kidman and Paul London

via wwe.com
via wwe.com

A former tag team in the WWE, these two talented cruiserweights held the WWE Tag Team Championship together as part of the Smackdown brand and seemed perfect for one another. Both exceptional from an in-ring standpoint, they were a throwback to teams like The Rockers who could fly around the ring with the greatest of ease and make whoever they were in there with look great. The one thing they couldn’t do, however, is get along behind the scenes. For followers of the business, it is abundantly clear that Paul London speaks his mind, no matter what the consequences and that holds true when he is asked about his former partner. Outright stating that he “never liked him” in reference to Billy, Paul clearly doesn’t care that Kidman remains a part of the WWE to this day.

9 8. Kurt Angle and Eddie Guerrero

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via Pinterest.com

Two of the most talented performers of the modern era of the WWE, Kurt Angle and Eddie Guerrero were amazing in the ring and on the mic which makes them both the full package. When they were booked into a World Title match at WrestleMania XX, the results were electric and involved one of the most creative finishes we’ve ever seen. Also two parts of the “Smackdown Six”, they were pivotal in an era of that show that featured some of the best wrestling the WWE has ever put on in a lot of fan’s minds. That doesn’t mean that they always appreciated one another or even working together as apparently they once got into a backstage fight as a result of wrestling one another. According to Kurt himself, Eddie felt he was being too rough in the ring and after a series of arguments they fought which Kurt handily won.

8 7. Sylvain Grenier and René Duprée

via WWE.com
via WWE.com

La Résistance was a trio of performers that worked for the WWE during the 2000s and found success together, including four separate runs as World Tag Team Champions. A prototypical version of the villainous foreign guys the WWE has promoted again and again over the years, they were quite adept at getting fans to boo them. Little did we know that two of the team, Sylvain Grenier and René Duprée, felt the same way about one another. Sylvain was quoted as saying that teaming with his younger partner was akin to babysitting and René said during an interview that he “didn’t like the guy” in reference to Grenier. Furthermore, Duprée once said “we don’t like each other, we haven’t talked to each other and probably never will” about you know who.

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6 6. Rob Van Dam and Taz

via wwe.com
via wwe.com

Two of the most bankable stars in the history of ECW, these two were linked together at various points in their careers. Former two-time ECW World Tag Team Champions together, they feuded with the likes of The Impact Players, The Dudley Boyz, Jinsei Shinzaki and Hayabusa, and more but what nobody realized was they were feuding with one another in the back. Amazing to consider since RVD seems like the most chill person to ever walk the planet, it seems as though Rob puts the blame squarely on Taz’s shoulders. According to him, Taz had a huge entourage that surrounded him and made communicating with him far more difficult than it ever should have been. We’re sorry Taz, from what we’ve seen it appears like you’ve mellowed out but when RVD disparages you, it means you must be a dick.

5 5. Chris Jericho and Triple H

via wwe.com
via wwe.com

There aren’t very many people that worked for the WWE during the Attitude Era but have had the staying power to still be involved with the company to this day. Two of those people, Triple H and Chris Jericho, have been involved in multiple storylines with one another over the many years they’ve shared locker rooms. It would be nice to think of them as fast friends who’ve run the roads together but according to Jericho himself they initially “didn’t like each other at all”. Speaking openly about the way he and Hunter used to feel about one another on Ric Flair’s podcast, Chris revealed it was because of his work in WCW that HHH disliked him. Fortunately, Chris says the two have come to terms with one another and are even friends now.

4 4. The British Bulldogs

via ringthedamnbell.wordpress.com
via ringthedamnbell.wordpress.com

When people look back at the best tag teams in the history of the business it is pretty hard to leave The British Bulldogs off of the list. Remembered best for their time in the WWE, where they would win the Tag Team Championship and feud with the likes of The Hart Foundation, these two were more than partners, they were cousins. It is always a shame when family falls apart and that is what happened here and it appears as though it was the wrestling business that came between them. According to Diana Hart, Davey’s ex-wife, the two stopped being close after they left the WWE and The Dynamite Kid wanted to stay away longer. According to her, her ex was out of money and needed to return and Dynamite didn’t which caused the rift when Davey went back as a solo star and started calling himself The British Bulldog.

3 3. John Cena and Batista

via thearmbarexpress.wordpress.com
via thearmbarexpress.wordpress.com

During Batista's first run in the WWE, he was booked as a top guy after his world title feud with Triple H and the only person who rivalled his position in the company was John Cena. Used as the company’s biggest stars, they were kept on separate brands through a lot of their run and both reached levels of success that few wrestlers ever achieve. Eventually, Dave turned into a bad guy and the two feuded on-screen in arguably the best run of Batista’s career which easily could have made them tight but clearly didn’t. In fact, after leaving the company, Dave has referred to John and his effect on the business as killing the type of wrestling he enjoyed. Definitely doesn’t sound like the type of thing you say about someone who you like, does it?

2 2. The Rock and Triple H

via WrestlingRumors.net
via WrestlingRumors.net

While The Rock and Steve Austin spent much of their respective careers as each other’s biggest rivals, there is no question that the Rock also spent much of his career working across from Triple H. The leaders of D-Generation X and the Nation of Domination at the same time as one another, they started out fighting over the Intercontinental title before graduating to trading the top belt. While neither has publicly discussed the backstage heat they shared there are lots of folks who have revealed it, including Bruce Prichard and Ric Flair. We guess that makes sense as there is a documented history of The Rock disliking Hunter’s best friend, Shawn Michaels, too. Whatever the root cause of the anger between the two of them, one thing is clear, they were really good at putting it aside and working together.

1 1. CM Punk and Colt Cabana

via wrestlingnews.co
via wrestlingnews.co

We are huge fans of CM Punk’s contributions to the wrestling world and frankly don’t understand anyone who isn’t considering his mic work was amazing and his matches rocked. However, that doesn’t blind us from noticing that it seems as though he can be a real dick and has a long list of enemies. Despite that, there was one person that for years we all saw as being his best friend, Colt Cabana, a likable dude that CM even mentioned during his trademark “pipebomb promo”. Also, when Punk walked away from the WWE, it was Colt’s podcast which he chose to break his silence on, something he knew would draw a lot of attention. Unfortunately, it wasn’t all positive and resulted in the two long-time pals being sued by a WWE doctor, still, they remained close, at least for a while. When Colt made the choice to visit some of his friends backstage at a WWE event, it appears to have angered Punk and ended their friendship. While we don’t know either personally, there is something about that which makes us sad.